2017 PPP Zanda McDonald award winner Morgan Easton with judges Richard Rains, left, and Shane McManaway, right, with Don McDonald.

HOW multi-generational family farming businesses adapt to change will be one of the key areas of interest for a progressive young NZ farmer, as he embarks on a unique interactive study opportunity as the 2017 Platinum Primary Producers’ Zanda McDonald award winner.

Thirty-four year old South Island dairy farmer Morgan Easton was last night announced as the 2017 award recipient, during a gala dinner in Melbourne as part of the annual Platinum Primary Producers* conference.

The award, now in its third year, recognises outstanding young people working across Australasian agriculture. It is named after the late Zanda McDonald, a progressive and innovative young North Queensland cattleman who died tragically in a farm accident four years ago. Mr McDonald was an active and enthusiastic member of the PPP group.

Morgan and his wife Hayley are part of a multi-generational family farming business, currently 50:50 share-milking 1625 cows over two Waitaki Plains farms on New Zealand’s South Island. Under the arrangement, the Eastons own the cows and provide the operational management and expertise, in collaboration with a land-owner, sharing the milk-cheque. Three years ago the family invested in a second nearby farm.

After growing up on the family farm, Morgan studied at Lincoln University in NZ and Cornell U in the United States.  He then worked as a Dexcel consulting officer before undertaking a Master of Science degree at Purdue University in the US. He also received a Fullbright scholarship in agriculture and participated in the Future Partners Program in Washington DC.

As the major part of his PPP award, Morgan will receive a tailored mentoring package, including extensive access to a Pilatus aircraft, to engage with progressive PPP group members across Australia and NZ, valued at $30,000. He will also gain a place on Rabobank’s Farm Managers Program, worth $7000, and receive a cash prize.

The mentoring package is designed to help further the career/life experiences of the recipient.

Future agricultural leaders

One of the judges for the competition, former Sanger Australia managing director Richard Rains, said the criteria for the award included displaying strong leadership and visionary characteristics, innovation, motivation, dedication, determination, curiosity, a strong work ethic, and a desire to improve their industry.

“They are all qualities we will see in the young people that are going to be the future of our agricultural industries, and this year,” he said.

Mr Easton over the next 12 months will get exposure to a catalogue of progressive PPP members from a wide spectrum of agriculture, which he feels will greatly broaden his horizons.

“At home, we are proud Fonterra (milk) supplier partners. But while we go to a lot of Fonterra supplier meetings, everybody in the room is basically doing much the same as us – all irrigated dairy, all supplying Fonterra. In contrast, this PPP group is just so diverse, and it’s often from outside your immediate cohort that you can pick-up and utilise the best ideas and approaches,” he said.

“For example I’m keen to learn from PPP members, especially those with family businesses, how they maintain and grow the progress of the business, through the generations.”

“I’m fortunate enough to be born into a family farming enterprise, and over the next 12 months I’d like to put emphasis on how these PPP businesses continue to evolve through the generations,” Mr Easton said.

“In our family business, each generation has put their own stamp on the enterprise. I’m interested to explore the culture in each farming enterprise I’ll be visiting to see how different farming enterprises approach that.”

“My own parents challenged us while we were growing up to get educated, and bring a fresh perspective to our business, and agriculture generally,” he said.

“While I consider myself fortunate with what we already have within our family farming  business, I didn’t want to simply come home and be satisfied with what has already been achieved before me. We want to grow the business over the next ten years, either through expansion or diversification, or both.”

“While that’s likely to continue to focus on dairy, which we consider ourselves to be quite good at, we’re also not afraid to diversify, if the opportunity arises – and we’re young enough, being at the early stages of our career, to take on a little more ‘risk profile’ with ventures beyond what we know.”

Mr Easton was selected from three outstanding finalists for the 2017 award last night. Runners-up were Airlie Trescowthick from Deniliquin and Henry Pinckney, a sheep and cattle producer from New Zealand’s Hurunui district.

Last year’s award winner, NZ beef sheep and dairy farmer Dean Rabbidge, gave a detailed account at last night’s Melbourne dinner of his experiences with PPP members over the past year, clocking up some 35,000km in air-miles along the way with PPP members, courtesy of Pilatus.

About Platinum Primary Producers

The Platinum Primary Producers* (PPP) group, initiated by livestock ID and monitoring company Allflex, is a collective of about 140 of Australasia’s top rural movers and shakers. Its members are at the forefront of the beef sheep, venison, dairy and cropping industries throughout Australia and New Zealand, both corporate and family-owned. Members share a special bond through passion and enthusiasm for agriculture, and willingness to push the boundaries.

Each year the PPP Group comes together at conference, alternating between the two countries, to discuss and debate topical industry issues.

• More reports to come from PPP’s 2017 Conference, which concludes today.